Happy Super Bowl week folks! The anticipation building up to the big game eats is my favorite part of the Super Bowl. I mean seriously, I don’t even know who is playing. I know Madonna is doing the half time show and there will be some Ferris Bueller commercial but that’s about it. Well that isn’t completely true, I also know that I will be eating a lot. And these sandwiches will be numero uno on the list.

Chances are I won’t be making as much for this year’s Super Bowl as I have done in the past. In between tummy time, nursing, cuddle time with little man and the commercials I know I just won’t have the time to make 4 different kinds of chicken wings like I did last year. That is where dishes like this sandwich come in handy because it uses already made pulled pork making the cooking time almost null. Gotta love that.

If you don’t have a pulled pork recipe that you like, here is mine from way back.

Serves 4

You will need:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 jalapeno, stem removed, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder (divided)
• 2 cups pulled pork
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon lime
• 8 slices crusty french bread, toasted
• 2 avocados, pits and skins removed, sliced

1. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Stir in onion, jalapeno, garlic powder, cumin and 1/2 teaspoon chili powder. Stir in pork and cook just until warmed through. Stir in cilantro. Remove from heat.
2. In a small bowl combine mayonnaise, lime and remaining chili powder.
3. To make one sandwich: spread mayonnaise on toasted bread, top with 1/4 of the pork mixture and 2 slices of avocado. Serve.

Enjoy!

These days just about everything gives me heartburn. I kid you not I drink water and I get heartburn. Water. However, surprisingly, spicy food does not seem to bother me. I eat something slathered in sriracha and no heartburn what so ever.  As a result, I am going to continue adding it to as many things as possible, like this chicken salad, that also happens to be the perfect “man food” dish for football parties, and for tech support husbands.

You may or have may not noticed that the blog has been up and down, up and down, up and down the past couple of days. I thank you for your patience. I think we’ve got it handled now, but it sure does cause some stress on my part. I don’t like the idea of someone coming to visit looking for something for dinner and not being able to access the recipe. So when something happens like this, I turn to my web developer/designer/tech support/husband for help. Luckily he seems to know exactly what to do to get it fixed. As a show of appreciation, I decided to make him these spicy chicken salad sandwiches. He devoured them, as did I. How could we not with the tangy sriracha dressing, celery, shallots, cilantro and crispy wonton slices.

Makes 2 – 3 sandwiches

You will need:

• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons sriracha
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 1 small shallot, finely sliced
• 1 rib celery, diced small
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
• pinch kosher salt
• 4 wonton wrappers, sliced into strips
• oil for frying
• 2 – 3 hoagie rolls

1. Combine mayonnaise, sriracha and rice vinegar in a bowl. Mix well.
2. Stir in shallot, celery, cilantro, chicken and salt. Toss until coated in the dressing. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
3. When you are ready to make the sandwiches, heat a 1/4 inch of oil in a skillet. Once hot fry wonton wrappers until golden brown, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a paper towel lined plate.
4. Slice the hoagie rolls down the middle lengthwise. Spoon the chicken salad into the hoagie rolls. Top with wonton wrappers and serve.

Enjoy!

I think that every day for the last week I have had a tomato. Whether it be in a salad, on a sandwich or just sliced with a little salt, I have been devouring them. But there is one kind of tomato that I wasn’t able to have until last night. A tomato that I anxiously await all year: the fried green tomato. Oh the crunchiness. The tartness. The down right home cookin’ taste of it. I have dreams about them and their salty goodness. And just when I thought they couldn’t get any better, I decided to try them sandwiched between crunchy French bread and melted pepper jack cheese. Lord have mercy.

I have been in love with fried green tomatoes since I saw the movie way back when. Every year I make as many as I possibly can. I’ve had some turn out amazing and some not so great and I think the key is to pick tomatoes that are very firm. I find that the softer tomatoes don’t hold up to the frying as well and as a result the finished product can be a tad bit on the mushy side. I’ve used unripe red tomatoes and the green zebra tomatoes and both work equally as well.

Makes 4 sandwiches

You will need:

• 2 – 3 medium to large green tomatoes, sliced ¼ inch thick
• Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
• ½ cup flour
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 – 2 cups panko bread crumbs
• Oil for frying
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 8 slices crusty French bread
• 8 slices pepper jack cheese

1. Season the green tomatoes liberally with salt and pepper on both sides.
2. Set up an assembly line with the flour, eggs and panko. Dip a tomato into the flour, then into the egg and then press into the panko until well coated. Set aside and repeat until all tomatoes are coated.
3. Heat 1 inch of oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Drop a couple of panko crumbs into the oil and once they sizzle the oil is hot enough. Fry the tomatoes in batches until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with kosher salt. Repeat until all tomatoes are fried.
4. To assemble one sandwich: butter one side of 2 slices of bread, place one slice of cheese on the bread, place two tomatoes on top followed by another slice of cheese and the other slice of bread.
5. Place sandwich in non-stick pan over medium heat and cook until bread is golden and cheese is melted, 2 – 3 minutes on each side. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Well now that it is August, summer has finally decided to grace us with her presence here in Seattle. With the warm, sunny summer weather comes recipes that are quick, easy and don’t require cooking. Recipes like this spicy chicken salad. It’s great because it uses pre-cooked chicken so there is no need to heat your kitchen. It’s also great because it’s loaded with creamy avocado. And well everything is better with avocado.

I am trying to get all of the spicy food in possible before the lovely heartburn side effect of pregnancy decides to kick in. That is why I decided to make this chicken salad a little spicy. To give this chicken salad its kick, I decided to use chipotle powder. It adds a nice smokey heat to the dressing for the salad. I use a jar of Dave’s Chipotle Powder that I picked up while I was on vacation. I love having it in the kitchen for a quick addition of that chipotle flavor I love so much.

Oh and no worries, the people at Dave’s have no idea who I am, I just really like their product.

Serves 4

You will need:

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 cups diced cooked chicken
• 1 green bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, diced
• 1/3 cup diced jack cheese
• 1 avocado, pit and skin removed, diced

1. Whisk first eight ingredients together in a bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes just to let the flavors meld.
2. Serve on bread as sandwiches or on top of lettuce as a salad.

Enjoy!

Did you know that April is National Grilled Cheese Month? I had no idea such a thing existed but whomever decided to do that Thank you. Thank you because it gives us all a reason to celebrate the cheesy, gooey food comfort heaven that is the grilled cheese sandwich. Thank you because it gives me an excuse to enjoy all the ingredients of my favorite salad: mozzarella, basil, tomato and balsamic vinegar in sandwich form.

I will admit I took my time while making this sandwich. I didn’t want to just throw it together. The ingredients are so simple yet so amazingly delicious I wanted to make sure that each ingredient shined. I precisely sliced the tomatoes. I carefully tore the basil leaves so not to bruise them. I toasted the bread first and rubbed it with a little garlic before layering the ingredients together one by one. Then, I sat there and watched it cook. As the bread became more golden and the cheese began to melt. I knew it was time. I removed the sandwich from the pan, cut it in half and drizzled it with a little balsamic vinegar. Then I took a bite and said the following thing, “that is one heck of a grilled cheese sandwich”

Serves 2

You will need:

• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 4 slices rustic bread
• 1 clove garlic
• 6 tomato slices
• 8 slices fresh mozzarella
• 6 basil leaves
• balsamic vinegar

1. Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the bread until slightly toasted. Remove from the skillet and rub garlic clove over the toast.
2. Layer 3 tomato slices, 4 mozzarella slices and 3 basil leaves per sandwich. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
3. Add remaining oil to the skillet and cook sandwich until both sides are golden and cheese is melted. Remove from skillet, drizzle with a little more balsamic and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Ryan is a huge fan of meatball subs, but the meatball subs that he is used to are usually more of the Italian variety. You know, the ones loaded with mozzarella and marinara. While those are delicious, I decided to go with an Asian inspired sub for this recipe. Instead of using Italian sausage for these meatballs, I mixed pork with oyster sauce, sesame oil and ginger and then instead of marinara, I decided to make a spicy sriracha slaw to top it all off. Let’s just say after the look on Ryan’s face after one bite I’m pretty sure he’s a fan of the Asian variety of the meatball sub as well.

You might recognize the sriracha slaw that I used for this recipe. I’ve used it before. It’s just so good. So spicy and the dressing not only coats the broccoli slaw nicely but it wiggles its way into the crevasses of the hoagie rolls making each bite juicy and flavorful.

Makes 4 sandwiches

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons sriracha
• 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 10 ounce broccoli slaw
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/3 cup plain bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 -  2 serrano peppers
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 4 hoagie rolls
• lettuce and cilantro if desired

1. In a bowl whisk together mayonnaise, sriracha, grated ginger and vinegar. Stir in the broccoli slaw. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. In a bowl combine ground pork, egg, breadcrumbs, oyster sauce, sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger, salt and serrano peppers. Mix well and roll into about 2o meatballs.
4. Heat peanut oil in a skillet over medium heat. Brown on all sides, transfer to a baking dish and in preheated oven for  20 minutes or until cooked through.
5. When ready to assemble sandwiches,  place a couple sprigs of cilantro, 1 lettuce leaf and 5 meatballs per sandwich on the hoagie rolls, top with sriracha slaw and serve.

Enjoy!

I have always been a bit of an Egg Salad sandwich purist, that is until I started exploring different ways to make deviled eggs. Now I am beginning to think that there is a whole wide world out there of  egg salad combinations that I need to sample. I decided to start my exploration by making this spicy sriracha egg salad.

I love sriracha. I cook with it. I dip french fries in it. I squirt it on pizza. I stir it into pho. Add it to stir fry. Heck I even marinate chicken in it. It really is my favorite condiment. And if you got the chance to look in my fridge to see the amount of condiments I have, you would know that that is kind of a bold statement. It just goes so well with pretty much everything and this egg salad is no exception. It’s a little bit spicier than your traditional egg salad so if you’re unsure about the amount of spice that you like why not start by adding a couple of teaspoons first then add more if you like.

Makes 2 sandwiches

You will need:

• 6 hard boiled eggs
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sriracha
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 slices bread

1. Chop egg whites and yolks together and place in a bowl with remaining ingredients. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Spoon onto bread to make sandwiches and serve.

Enjoy!

I will be the first one to admit that I am not a huge sandwich person. Ryan loves them. He loves sub sandwiches, turkey sandwiches, roast beef sandwiches, meatloaf sandwiches, meatball sandwiches…I could go on and on. I on the other hand am not a huge fan. With that said, I will admit that after making and eating this sandwich I dreamed about it and craved it for the next few days. The spicy shrimp, the creamy chipotle avocado mayonnaise, the crunchy bread and crisp lettuce is enough to make anyone a sandwich fan.

Avocados alone are pretty creamy so I was a little hesitant to mix them with mayonnaise but seriously, the result was like avocado heaven. And when I decided to add some spicy chipotle peppers it was like laying on a sun soaked beach in that avocado heaven. I won’t lie, I may have eaten a spoonful. Hey, it was just a quality check. Yeah…that’s it.

Serves 2

You will need:

• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 pound medium shrimp (about 20 shrimp) peeled and deveined
• 1 avocado, pitted and diced
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 chipotle pepper
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 french rolls
• 4 romaine lettuce leaves

1. Combine cumin, garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, chili powder and olive oil together in a bowl. Place shrimp in the bowl and toss to coat.
2. Combine avocado, mayonnaise, chipotle pepper, lime juice and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt in a food processor. Pulse until smooth.
3. Place shrimp in a skillet over medium heat. Cook until pink and cooked through, about 5 minutes.
4. Toast rolls, if desired. Spread chipotle avocado mayonnaise on the roll. Place lettuce leaves on the bottom half of the roll and place 10 shrimp on each sandwich.
5. Serve.

Enjoy!

Exciting times in our house I tell ya’, emphasis on the word house. That’s right, Ryan and I just bought our first home! It’s cute, it’s the perfect starter and it needs some work which is why I have been MIA for the past couple of days. It is also why I decided to make these curried chicken salad sandwiches with curry, cranberries and almonds. They are easy, super flavorful and most important to us new homeowners who don’t yet live in our new home because we are fixing it up, they are also very portable.

I am a giant fan of curried chicken. Well I’m not a giant in the literal sense, although that would be pretty cool, I just really like chicken curry. Generally when I have it the chicken is simmered in a spicy curry sauce and spooned over jasmine rice like this, but that’s not feasible right now, plus its going to be like a bajillion degrees here this week. FYI in Seattle terms 95 degrees =  a bajillion degrees and I just don’t like cooking when it is that hot. That is why these sandwiches are perfect, they use already prepared chicken so I don’t have to spend much time on dinner and can concentrate on more important things like what color to paint the dining room.

Serves 2 – 4

You will need:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 2 cups diced cooked diced chicken breast
• salt to taste
• 4 slices sourdough bread

1. Whisk first six ingredients together in a bowl. Stir in cranberries, almonds and diced chicken. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to let the flavors meld. Season to taste with salt.
2. Toast sourdough bread if desired. Spoon mixture onto bread.
3. Serve.

Enjoy!

Ryan loves sandwiches. I mean loves sandwiches. He might even refer to him self as a sandwich connoisseur.  Ryan’s love of sandwiches has gotten to the point where my dear sweet husband can be very picky. For this reason,  when I set out to make them for us I have to make sure they are extra special. Take this sandwich for instance, it has herb marinated chicken and a quick and easy garlic mayonnaise. The combination together makes for one delectable sandwich. And my reward for making sure the sandwich is extra special? The smile on his face while he eats it… oh and slapping his hand as he tries to take mine.

I was considering making my own aioli for this recipe but I was short on time and didn’t have any eggs. Since aioli is essentially garlic mayonnaise, the next best thing is to chop up a few cloves of garlic and mix it with your favorite mayonnaise. Then allow it to sit in the refrigerator for a little while so that the mayonnaise takes on the lovely garlic flavor. It’s just as good as aioli trust me. I’ve even used it before as a dip for french fries.

Makes 2 sandwiches

You will need:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons Herbs de Provence
• 6 chicken tender pieces (or 2 small chicken breasts)
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• lettuce
• 2 cibatta rolls, sliced in half

1. In a bowl combine olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, kosher salt and Herbs de Provence. Place chicken in marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. In another bowl combine mayonnaise and garlic cloves. Cover and refrigerate for an hour.
3. When ready, preheat your grill to medium-high. Cook marinated chicken until cooked through, about 3 – 4 minutes per side depending on the thickness of the chicken.
4. To assemble the sandwiches: Place lettuce on the bottom half of the roll,  place 3 chicken tenders per sandwich on top. Spread the garlic mayonnaise on the top half of the bun.
5. Serve.

Enjoy!